Mary Crabb

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I made my first basket in 2000. The process filled me with energy and enthusiasm; I had found the pair of gloves to fit my hands. Over the next five years I attended many courses learning how to make traditional willow baskets. It was important to me to learn how to make in the way generations had made before me.

On my journey I have met many wonderful basket makers and have been encouraged to experiment with materials and techniques. Breaking away from making traditional willow baskets, I now make small woven non-functional baskets, which I call pods. I find the making of pods deeply satisfying. Visits to the Millennium Seed Bank at Wakehurst Place have provided inspiration for new designs.

I have a particular liking for wire. Photographs of abandoned wire and metal objects found in natural settings offer ideas for future work. I work with a range of different metals and coloured telephone wire. Telephone wire creates an animal like speckled surface. Other materials I use can be willow, cane and paper.

I use a technique called twining. It requires the weaving of an active element around a passive warp. The technique appeals to me because the basket is shaped in my hands without the use of a mould. Although repetitive and time consuming, the placing of each weaver informs the final piece. Each pod has its own unique shape and character. They are rigid and their construction is strong. The weaving gives a very smooth, slightly undulating surface.

I am a member of the Basketmakers’ Association and a Yeoman Member of The Worshipful Company of Basketmakers.